We’re in a Multi-Cam Sitcom Renaissance and TV Is Better for It

My oh my, how things change in a year! Just 13 months ago, the return of Will & Grace prompted me to gleefully write that the multi-cam sitcom was not beyond saving. I love multi-cam sitcoms. How could I not? The best comedies for five decades of TV were all shot in front of an audience, with the most brilliant comedians of the 20th century feeding off that live energy. But after a decade of neglect, the classic TV format that gave us everything from I Love Lucy to Seinfeld was in bad shape. Sure, the biggest comedies on TV (The Big Bang Theory) and streaming (Fuller House) were multi-cam, but those shows have never been critical darlings. And the rest of the big comedies of the 21st century, both with critics and audiences, were all void of a live audience (Arrested Development, Black-ish, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, The Office, Modern Family, 30 Rock, Veep). Even Young Sheldon, a spinoff of the biggest multi-cam show on the air, is single-cam. The last time a multi-cam show was nominated for the Outstanding Comedy Emmy was The Big Bang Theory in 2014. The last one that won that Emmy was Everybody Loves Raymond in 2005! It really felt like there was no going back, which seriously bummed me out.

And then Will & Grace came back, bringing hard jokes, elaborate physicality, and a zippy pace. And then Roseanne came back and absolutely crushed it in the ratings. Because TV loves chasing after success (how are networks still trotting out Lost-style mystery-dramas?!), we all kinda knew that the 2018-2019 TV season would be filled with multi-cam imitators. Prognosticators were right, because there are way more multi-cam shows on the air now with even more on the way. But the real surprise is just how great they are!

I really couldn’t have predicted this a year ago, but we’re in the early stages of a multi-cam renaissance. This isn’t just because of the revitalized revivals of Murphy Brown, Will & Grace, and Roseanne/The Conners. There are new shows, shows like The Cool Kids, Happy Together, and The Neighborhood, that have made the format feel relevant and of the time.

NBC

The casts of these old shows came out of retirement to show the young’uns how it’s done. Now in the second year of its revival, Will & Grace is still swings for the fences every week by dropping its kooky quartet in unexpected situations. Grace sparring with a cranky new suitor played by David Schwimmer and a catsuited Karen speeding along the border wall are just two of the unexpected plotlines the show’s delivered so far this season. Murphy Brown’s return has brought unfiltered politics back to primetime in a way we haven’t seen in a long while; as the only comedy about journalists on TV, Murphy Brown’s been able to wring humor and insight from today’s headlines.

Photo: ABC

Most notable amongst the revival set is Roseanne’s transformation into The Conners, which has been the biggest “wow” of the season. With Roseanne Barr out of the picture, the rest of the cast have been given expanded roles that allow them to portray some of the funniest, most human moments I’ve seen in a multi-cam comedy in years. Just watch Laurie Metcalf’s Jackie freak out about corncob holders and tell me different!

And then there are the new kids on the sitcom block, shows like Fox’s The Cool Kids and CBS’ Happy Together and The Neighborhood. All of them are just a few weeks into their runs, but they’ve each hit super distinct strides that put them on par with the best comedies currently on TV. For one thing, they’re all weirder than they have any right to be. They all seem to be very aware of the expectations of the multi-cam formula and are actively subverting it. The Neighborhood can’t help put give Max Greenfield’s eager-to-please Dave all sorts of oddball flourishes, like his barely there running shorts or his firm belief that balloons can spice up any party.

Photo: Bill Inoshita/CBS

The anarchic Cool Kids punctuated a routine online dating episode with Vicki Lawrence stabbing a fake cop in the arm with a real knife. And Happy Together is built around quite possibly the most gleefully ridiculous marriage on TV, as Damon Wayans Jr. and Amber Stevens West play a couple of junk food and sweat pants connoisseurs that can’t stomach protein shakes.

The revivals obviously work because they’re lead by old pros and puh-lenty of Emmy winners. Their timing has only gotten better with age (Sara Gilbert and Lecy Goranson should have been spearheading sitcoms for the last decade, they’re still that good), and these stars’ years away have made them hungry (Joe Regalbuto and Grant Shaud really tear into their every line on Murphy Brown). The new shows are also lead by old pros, too. The Cool Kids stars four comedy vets (Lawrence, Martin Mull, Leslie Jordan, and David Alan Grier) who quickly gelled into a killer quartet.

Photo: Fox

The Neighborhood and Happy Together are lead by New Girl alums Max Greenfield and Damon Wayans Jr, respectively, two hyper charismatic guys that have perfected their delivery on years of single-cam comedies. Their entry into the world of multi-cam is so welcome, as they bring the edgy irreverence of their resumes with them to the stage. Seriously, just watch the way Wayans commands Happy Together’s live audience. Multi-cam’s trademark wide shots capture every one of his hilariously articulated moves, making him a modern day Dick Van Dyke, one who moonwalks and stumbles with expert precision.

The Neighborhood is built around Greenfield and Cedric the Entertainer, a match made in sitcom heaven. Their resumes even speak to their dynamic; Cedric’s done plenty of multi-cam before and brings a laid back seniority to his role while Greenfield, fresh off seven seasons of New Girl, is new to the format the way Dave is new to the ‘hood. Their dynamic gets richer every week as the show uses Dave and Calvin to explore serious issues around gentrification. Also, it’s funny.

But these shows would all fall apart if their leads were doing all the heavy lifting. Great sitcoms have to have great ensembles (like Will & Grace and Murphy Brown, for example), and these new shows all do. In fact, The Neighborhood and Happy Together are mining a whole lot of comedy gold from what’s usually the most untapped sitcom resource: the wives. Beth Behrs and Tichina Arnold practically steal every episode of The Neighborhood with their hilarious B-plots, including one involving a wig collection that goes from tense to one of the most hilarious scenes of the young TV season.

CBS

And it would be super easy for Amber Stevens West to sit on the sidelines of Happy Together and shake her head at her husband’s antics–but she doesn’t! She’s just as goofy as he is and gets plenty of wacky things to do (like eating a bag solely of Cheeto dust). And the rest of the casts are rock solid; Sheaun McKinney and Marcel Spears win legit laughs with their one-liners on The Neighborhood, and Happy Together’s Stephnie Weir and Victor Williams are excellent additions to the pantheon of kooky neighbors.

Photo: CBS

The networks really chased the success of Roseanne with all of these new multi-cam shows, but this is trend-chasing I can get behind. These shows are funny, smart, weird, and highly entertaining–way more entertaining that multi-cam shows have been in a very long time. I always knew the format would come back in style again, and it looks like these senior and freshmen series are leading the charge.